Tag Archives: Firefox

This are the slides from my talk at Widgets Web Expo, earlier this month. While the original title was a bit more conservative, the main purpose of the talk was to inform the interested public about the issues regarding AJAX, cross-domain post request and how it affects your application.

What I tried to do here, is to discuss the User Interface decisions that you have to make, when you’re talking to remote servers. Namely:

This is a short tutorial how to insert links into your blog post using MySpace blog editor on OS X in Firefox. It’s pretty verbose as I tried to see if I can write a detailed tutorial. It’s a quick republish of the blog on my MySpace blog, as I’m not sure if everyone can see it there. For more technical audience of this blog, just ignore this post 🙂

Lets start first with the fact that you’ll need Firefox for this to work. Firefox is a free alternative to Safari. (Btw, this tutorial works for all Firefox users on all other platforms – Windows and Linux).

After you installed Firefox, go to your MySpace page and open up Blog editor. You’ll get an error message like this:

Just press cancel and a full editor will load for you:

(this screenshot uses Zemanta so it’s a bit more full of things, as it will suggest to you all sorts of things while you blog).

Now moving on to placing links part. We’re going to create a link to moo.com. They’re makers of really great business cards.

Click on the green world with a paper clip icon:

Now just enter their URL – web address, and the text you want for your link:

There is also an option what to do with the link target. While there are four options there, in reality they will just do two things for you: either open link in the same window, and replace your blog, or open the link in a new browser window.

To open a blog in a new window, select option _blank. All other will open in the same window. For those who are more technically inclined, you can read full explanation of target attribute on this page.

Their servers are runinng 99.5% open source software. They are mostly Linux users in-house, so they use Firefox as the only real option.

Firefox usage numbers for Interseek:

June 2005Â – 5.1%

June 2007 – 15.2%

June 2008 – 26.9%

Third one is always Opera (not Safari). In June 2008, Opera has 1.2% usage base.

We have Firefox users

We have a lot of Firefox users, and we must offer them a full service experience. We have to give them goodies like toolbars and Firefox search plugins. Publishing these features is good for us but also helps to expand the general Firefox user base.

Our story

in the first half of 2007 we launched Firefox toolbar and search plugin for Najdi.si and Pogodak (.hr, .ba., rs.) search engines.

What is so cool about Firefox extensions?

It’s mostly cool because XUL is cool. If you know how to make a dynmaic client side web application then you will probably know how to do XUL application. If you know how to program using XML, JavaScript and DOM you know XUL. XUL is supported by the Gecko engine.

Only XUL?

XPCOM components written in C++. Integration of other libraries into Mozilla.

Why would be ever need this? Things we can’t do with Javascript, we can do with an XPCOM component (e.g., usage of tcp socekts, etc.) and then use new functions from Javascript.

XUL extension

If you are planning an extension like toolbar or an ultra cool addon for uploading pictures to your new social network web site..

Building UI applications based on XUL. Two popular applications/examples are Songbird and Komodo.

Is your plugin working in Firefox 3?

Secure updates of your application with files hosted on secure http servers or signed xpi files. If you don’t have https server, it’s also possible to sign them with help of McCoy to create keys and fingerprints.

Zbigniew Braniecki – the power of communities; how to create communities, what does it mean to have a community and what does it mean to participate to communities.

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Why people do things

The do it because they want a reward in some way. There are different types of rewards:

external motivations (good grade, money, airline miles)

hobby

Driven by intristic motivation, practice for interst and enjoyment. Gives you skills, knowledge, experience. But the goal is a personal fulfillment.

Volutneering – highest level onÂ Maslow’sÂ hiarachy of motivation.Â

Mozilla communites are organic. They are organic and part of Mozilla project from the day 0. They contribute to each and every element of the system. Create new elements and serve as whistle-blowers. Contribute their unique skills and knowledge and are united by the goals of manifesto.

Firefox Flicks
The other example is Firefox Flicks, it’s a community made of clips that are promoting Firefox.

Example video clip:

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Development

With time, the development of Firefox/Mozilla code-base split 60% – of payed people vs. 40% of contributed code. Mozilla started hiring people, but the natural source of community, were former community members who just contributed to the level that made the project recognizable. Then they got hired to be able to spend even more time and effort in the project. This also means that Mozilla is representing American dream, if you enjoy what you do it is possible to get help to spend all of your time on the project you like and enjoy.

Mozilla is also doing Internships that are focused on “you” creating what you want, and focusing on things that you want to work on. It also means that organization is not employing people who are doing it just for money, but canÂ attractÂ great and passionate people. It also means that it can do more with a smaller team, and everyone is a community.

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Something bigger

Mozilla is not only about Firefox, it’s something much bigger. A lot of great other things are being developed, after getting Firefox 3 out of door, the idea is to work on Thunderbird, more localization.

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Thunderbird 3

The idea for next major version of Thunderbird, by Mozilla Messaging, connect social network, online identities and such.

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MobileÂ Solutions

Working on new ways to interact with mobiles, how to use internet and new interaction paradigms.